Comparison

Going Merry Scholarships vs Common App

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Going Merry Scholarships

This app helps students find and apply for scholarships, grants, and financial aid to fund their college education. It offers personalized matching, simplified application processes, and tools to compare financial aid offers.

Highlights
  • Personalized scholarship matching
  • Auto-filled scholarship applications
  • Bundled scholarships for multiple applications
  • Grant and financial aid matching
  • Simplified FAFSA® form
  • Financial aid offer comparison tool
Read full description

Going Merry is a free app that helps you get money to pay for college. We match you to scholarships, grants, and financial aid–all for free. Each year, we help students get about $500 million in free money. Going Merry is already used by 2 million students and trusted by over 20,000 registered high school counselors. What makes Going Merry different? 1. Personalized scholarship matching Get applying faster. Less browsing and sifting through scholarships that aren’t applicable to you. 2. Easy, auto-filled scholarship applications Apply directly to many of the listed scholarships, right from the Going Merry website or app. We’ll even pre-fill the application form with the information in your profile. 3. Bundled scholarships We’ve combined scholarships with similar essay prompts, so you can apply to multiple scholarships with one form. 4. Your personas data is secure We fully encrypt your data, and we never sell it to third parties. 5. Grants and financial aid too Get matched to state grants you’re eligible for. And apply for financial aid using our FAFSA® Made Easier, a simplified version of the government form. Finally, compare your college financial aid offers using our analysis tool, to make the right financial choice. But don’t take our word for it. Students from 1 in 2 high schools in America already use Going Merry to help them win scholarship award money. Join them today!

About

Common App

Manage your college applications on the go. This app offers a secure and streamlined way to apply to over 1000 colleges, research financial aid options, and access guidance from counselors, all from your mobile device.

Highlights
  • Apply to 1000+ colleges
  • Research financial aid
  • Get counselor advice
  • Secure application process
  • Mobile convenience
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Simplify your college application experience with Common App for mobile. Common App for mobile provides you with the same secure, streamlined application experience you’ve come to expect from Common App online, all from the convenience of your mobile device. The app seamlessly integrates with the first-year desktop experience — allowing you to apply to more than 1000 colleges, research financial aid, and get advice from counselors. Common App for mobile is free and easy to use. Download the app to navigate your entire college application journey.

Screenshots

Going Merry Scholarships4 screens
Common App4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Going Merry Scholarships at 81% against Common App's 23%. Going Merry Scholarships also leads on rating (4.8 vs 3.0) and update cadence (monthly vs every 9 months). Common App's advantage is chart position (#71 vs unranked). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Going Merry Scholarships holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Going Merry Scholarships has 10K ratings behind it against 679, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 81% of Going Merry Scholarships's written reviews are positive against 23% of Common App's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Going Merry Scholarships ships an update monthly, Common App every 9 months. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Going Merry Scholarships versus Common App: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGoing Merry ScholarshipsCommon App
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (10K ratings) — better3.0 (679 ratings)
Positive reviews81.3% of reviews — better22.9% of reviews
Number of ratings10K — better679
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 9 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
Best chart rank—#71 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS15.615.6
Further details — not scored
Size55 MB16 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGoing Merry Inc.The Common Application

Customer experience

Going Merry Scholarships

All ratings9,694 ratings
Positive96.4%
Neutral2.1%
Negative1.5%
Written reviews128 reviews
Positive81.3%
Neutral7.0%
Negative11.7%

Common App

All ratings679 ratings
Positive47.4%
Neutral8.4%
Negative44.2%
Written reviews118 reviews
Positive22.9%
Neutral5.1%
Negative72.0%

User reviews

Going Merry Scholarships

From 10K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💻 Easy to use
  • 🔍 Helpful in finding scholarships
  • ⏱️ Convenient on mobile
  • 🎉 Amazing app
  • 🌟 Organized and well-developed

Room to improve

  • ⏳ Long loading times
  • 🐛 Bugs and glitches
  • 🔍 Ineffective search functionality
  • 🏫 Issues with school selection

Common App

From 679 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Convenient mobile app
  • 👍 Same functionality as website
  • 🎉 Finally available as an app

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and freezes
  • 🔑 Requires re-login every time
  • 🚫 Doesn't work for transfer students

Bugs and requests

Going Merry Scholarships

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Account login issues
  • Problems with uploading documents
  • Inconsistent behavior when interacting with the app

Requested features

3 requests
  • Improved search and filtering options
  • Better tracking of application status
  • Expanded support for international students

Common App

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • White screen on login
  • App doesn't load past logo
  • Redirects transfer students to website

Requested features

3 requests
  • Keep user logged in for longer
  • Increase text box size
  • Add back button navigation

In-app purchases

None

Going Merry Scholarships

No in-app purchases

None

Common App

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Going Merry Scholarships free?
Going Merry Scholarships is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Common App free?
Common App is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Going Merry Scholarships or Common App?
Going Merry Scholarships is rated higher. Going Merry Scholarships averages 4.8 out of 5 from 10K ratings, while Common App averages 3.0 from 679 ratings.
Do Going Merry Scholarships or Common App have ads?
Neither Going Merry Scholarships nor Common App shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Going Merry Scholarships or Common App?
Going Merry Scholarships ships an update monthly, and Common App every 9 months. Most recently, Going Merry Scholarships was updated on November 8, 2026 and Common App on November 7, 2026.

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